''multipurpose'', ''multimedia'' and ''multiverse''

<<Kirk: does a pair like "insult"-"molt" rhyme for you?>>

Yup, well usually. Usually those both have [o5] for me. In rarer emphatic speech I may distinguish the two but that's not normal.

<<I definitely use the unrounded vowel [V] in "multi". I perceive "multi" as having the exact same vowel as "hut" or "sum".>>

Yeah I definitely don't have the same vowel in "hut" and "sum" as in "multi." "Multi" could be written "molti" as far as I'm concerned :) I pronounce "mulch" as "molch."

"Multi" with [V] sounds distinctly "East Coast" to me, and I guess that makes sense in your case :)

I'm different from Kirk here, that words like "hut", "sum", "mulch", and "insult" all use /@/, unlike "multi", which uses /O/, and "molt", which uses /o/. Hence, I'm not sure how "multi" ended with /O/ rather than /@/, because it does not seem to be the result of an across-the-board shift (as otherwise, at least "mulch" and "insult" should use /O/). Interestingly, /O/ may be used for "insult" and related words; for me the *noun* "insult" normally uses /@/, but the *verb* "to insult" often uses /O/ (but may still use /@/) here.

Lazar, Kirk, thanks for the information and links.

For me, ''insult'', ''molt'', ''fault'' and ''golf'' all have the same vowel.

<<For me, ''insult'', ''molt'', ''fault'' and ''golf'' all have the same vowel.>>

That's interesting. For me the first two share one vowel and the second two share one vowel.

"insult" [In"so5t]
"molt" [mo5t]

"fault" [fA5t]
"golf" [gA5f]

So then I assume you must have the "golf-gulf" merger, right? I maintain the distinction with my "golf" [gA5f] and "gulf" [go5f].

<<That's interesting. For me the first two share one vowel and the second two share one vowel.

"insult" [In"so5t]
"molt" [mo5t]

"fault" [fA5t]
"golf" [gA5f]

So then I assume you must have the "golf-gulf" merger, right? I maintain the distinction with my "golf" [gA5f] and "gulf" [go5f].>>

Yes, I have the golf-gulf merger. ''golf'' and ''gulf'' are both /g@Ulf/ for me.

Other examples are:

''insult'' /Ins@Ult/
''molt'' /m@Ult/
''fault'' /f@Ult/
''bald'' /b@Uld/
''bold'' /b@Uld/
''culture'' /k@UltS@/
''halt'' /h@Ult/
''dolphin'' /d@UlfIn/
''salt'' /s@Ult/
''bulb'' /b@Ulb/
''cult'' /k@Ult/
''mulch'' /m@UltS/

<<''insult'' /Ins@Ult/
''molt'' /m@Ult/
''fault'' /f@Ult/
''bald'' /b@Uld/
''bold'' /b@Uld/
''culture'' /k@UltS@/
''halt'' /h@Ult/
''dolphin'' /d@UlfIn/
''salt'' /s@Ult/
''bulb'' /b@Ulb/
''cult'' /k@Ult/
''mulch'' /m@UltS/>>

Actually, that would be:

''insult'' /Ins@}lt/
''molt'' /m@}lt/
''fault'' /f@}lt/
''bald'' /b@}ld/
''bold'' /b@}ld/
''culture'' /k@}ltS@/
''halt'' /h@}lt/
''dolphin'' /d@}lfIn/
''salt'' /s@}lt/
''bulb'' /b@}lb/
''cult'' /k@}lt/
''mulch'' /m@}ltS/

I think I have [}] for the second element of that diphthong, not [U]. ''golf'' and ''gulf'' are both /g@}lf/ for me.

That was me posting above.

<<For me, ''insult'', ''molt'', ''fault'' and ''golf'' all have the same vowel.>>

For me, they all have different vowels:

insult - /InsV5t/
molt - /mo5t/
fault - /fO5t/
golf - /gO5f/

<<insult - /InsV5t/
molt - /mo5t/
fault - /fO5t/
golf - /gO5f/>>

Typo. That should be:

insult - /InsV5t/
molt - /mo5t/
fault - /fO5t/
golf - /gQ5f/

"Fault" and "golf" are the same for me, "insult" and "molt" very different.

For me they'd be:

insult - [InsVlt]
molt - [mOlt]
fault - [fQlt]
golf - [gQlf]

For me, those all are:

''insult'' : /In"s@lt/ -> [I~n."sV5?] or /In"sOlt/ -> [I~n."sO5?]
''molt'' : /molt/ -> [mo5?]
''fault'' : /fOlt/ -> [fO5?]
''bald'' : /bOld/ -> [bO:5d]
''bold'' : /bold/ -> [bo:5d]
''culture'' : /"k@ltS@`/ -> ["k_hV5.tS@`]
''halt'' : /hOlt/ -> [hO5?]
''dolphin'' : /"dOlfIn/ -> ["dO5.fI~n] or ["dO5.fn=]
''salt'' : /sOlt/ -> [sO5?]
''bulb'' : /b@lb/ -> [bV:5b] or /bOlb/ -> [bO:5b]
''cult'' : /k@lt/ -> [k_hV5?]
''mulch'' : /m@ltS/ -> [mV5tS]

Slight correction (had written the wrong vowel length in the first syllable here):

''dolphin'' : /"dOlfIn/ -> ["dO:5.fI~n] or ["dO:5.fn=]

<<That's interesting. For me the first two share one vowel and the second two share one vowel.

"insult" [In"so5t]
"molt" [mo5t]

"fault" [fA5t]
"golf" [gA5f] >>

What about words with the /l/ at the end, such as "hull"? Is that the same as "hole"?

For me (northern England) "insult", "multi", "gulf" etc. have /V/ as in "hut" and "sum" (and "hull"), while "fault", "golf", "molt" (which I would spell "moult"), "halt", "dolphin" all seem to have /@U/ (phonetically just [o], I think). So do both "doll" and "dole".